Religion News: White House Bible study comes under fire

Sunday

Two groups filed the suit after the organizations asked for Freedom of Information Act requests to agencies led by Cabinet secretaries who attended the weekly Bible study.

THIS WEEK IN RELIGION

A weekly Bible study for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Cabinet secretaries is the subject of a new lawsuit after an atheist organization said the secretaries are coerced into participating in the Bible study.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed the suit after the organizations asked for Freedom of Information Act requests to agencies led by Cabinet secretaries who attended the weekly Bible study. HUD also refused to waive fees for the FOIA requests, saying the fees were needed because the records were not in the public interest or related to the department’s operations.

Anjali Kumar, a pragmatic lawyer for Google, was part of a rapidly growing population in America: highly spiritual but religiously uncommitted. But when her daughter was born, she became compelled to find God — or at least some kind of enlightenment. Kumar’s lighthearted story offers a revealing look at the timeless and vexing issue of spirituality in an era when more and more people are walking away from formal religions.

— Seal Press

THE WORD

ecumenism: A modern theological and social term referring to the effort to promote understanding and cooperation among diverse Christian groups.